Revel 1/32 P-38J

A buddy just gave me this kit. He had it in his stash. Box was unwrapped but all sprues were in their poly bags. Is this a good kit? Anything to watch out for? Admittedly, it will be a while before I can start on it (my current ‘51 build has been awaiting decals for months - just too busy). It seems like a great kit with pretty good detail. Thanks for any input.

On the bench: Revell/Monogram A-10 (trying to rescue from the shelf of doom)

I've got one in my stash. Its one of Revell's 1/32nd scale big-plane models from the 1960's, and as such has all the flaws and drawbacks of a plastic model of that time period. Although I haven't looked at mine in quite a while, its probably got a lot of rather unrefined detail, panel line, seam gaps, etc. problems, as well as a doll-like pilot figure.

Others on this site -- many master, museum-quality modelers (which I am not) -- will be more helpful, I'm sure, as to this old kit's drawbacks and potential.

Thanks for the reply. After posting, I found a review and looked at it more closely. It’s the typical detail for a ‘70’s era kit- raised panel lines and lots of rivets. The reviews say it’s still not too bad of a kit. This one is a ‘92 reissue. It does seem to have a better engineered way of attaching the wings and booms, a common issue with P-38 kits. Oh well, it will still be fun to build and I could not beat the price.

On the bench: Revell/Monogram A-10 (trying to rescue from the shelf of doom)

Yes, I built it a few years ago, but the model got destroyed. The major problems I had with it was the engine covers had terrible fit. The radiator intakes didn't fit well either. I also had trouble getting the canopy to fit and look good. My nose cone had a pretty noticeable sinkmark, but yours may not. If I recall correctly, the wheel wells and the superchargers didn't have much detail, so could use a bit of wiring or scratchbuilding.
I can't really think of any other issues I had, and these aren't that major; just some clean up, puttying, and sanding.
Decals worked great and the kit generally went together well and looked good. I would build it again and do a better job if I could.Careful with the landing gear, though. It's thin and fragile.
Hope all this might help :)

Thanks for the reply. After posting, I found a review and looked at it more closely. It’s the typical detail for a ‘70’s era kit- raised panel lines and lots of rivets. The reviews say it’s still not too bad of a kit. This one is a ‘92 reissue. It does seem to have a better engineered way of attaching the wings and booms, a common issue with P-38 kits. Oh well, it will still be fun to build and I could not beat the price.

If you've ever seen a real P-38 upclose, it's got a lot of HUGE rivets, especially around the tail booms where the vertical stabilizers meet the booms. So, if your kit has rivets, don't sand 'em off - they're accurate.

Thanks for the reply. After posting, I found a review and looked at it more closely. It’s the typical detail for a ‘70’s era kit- raised panel lines and lots of rivets. The reviews say it’s still not too bad of a kit. This one is a ‘92 reissue. It does seem to have a better engineered way of attaching the wings and booms, a common issue with P-38 kits. Oh well, it will still be fun to build and I could not beat the price.

If you've ever seen a real P-38 upclose, it's got a lot of HUGE rivets, especially around the tail booms where the vertical stabilizers meet the booms. So, if your kit has rivets, don't sand 'em off - they're accurate.

Gary

Those are actually not rivets, they are screws. Lockheed liked (and still likes) using screws to hold major componts together. The tail assembly to the booms, the booms to the main fuselage structure, the leading edges of the wings and the large panels below the cockpit on the cockpit pod all used large amounts of screws.